A moment of silence was taken Saturday, the 13th of December. The Houston National cemetery fell under a veil of respectful silence for the the 2014 laying of wreaths on the graves of veterans, though they were not the only ones. This past Saturday, the silence stretched around grave sites in every state of the US, and twenty seven other countries in which Wreaths of America were active.

Gathered at the cemetery were a variety of different organizations, from boy scouts to bikers, as well as the school’s NJROTC program. Also present were individuals, relatives and friends of the deceased, who came to place personal wreaths on the veterans graves.

This year, about 45,000 wreaths were donated, covering 75% of the cemeteries 60,000 graves. The Wreaths Across America organizers say that next year, they hope to have the 600,000$ necessary to cover the entire cemetery.

This year, ROTC raised over 3,000 dollars for the ceremony, and are already accepting donations for next year. Anyone who wishes to donate can go online to https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/WreathsAcrossAmericaHouston/OnlineDonation.html. Anyone who wishes to donate to the Tomball ROTC for the ceremony can go to https://waahouston.myetap.org/fundraiser/waah2014/team.do?participationRef=1221.0.13362403.

“Its a great chance to have the cadets to give back to those who served in the military,” said Lt. Commander Boucher, Instructor of the ROTC unit, “and to remember, honor, and teach self sacrifice.”